1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus having improved operability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, personal digital assistants (hereinafter, abbreviated as “PDA”) have become widely used.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an arrangement of a conventional PDA.
A display unit 2 composed of a liquid crystal is disposed on the front surface of a main body 1 of the PDA, and a touch panel 3 is formed on the display unit 2.
Character/gesture input areas 4 are areas in which input ranges are printed from the back surface thereof in the lower portion of the touch panel 3, and a display area 5 is a display area of a software key board displayed on the display unit 2, and various types of instructions can be input therethrough, respectively.
Further, the main body 1 includes a schedule display button 6 operated when a schedule is displayed, an address display button 7 operated when an address is displayed, an up/down button 8 operated when information is scrolled at the time a cursor is moved in a display screen, a button 9 operated when a “to do list” is displayed, and a memorandum note display button 10 operated when a memorandum note is displayed in order to display the above information by switching the internal mechanism thereof.
An input pen 11 is used to input a character on the touch panel 3, to select a menu in the display screen, and to input a gesture in the character/gesture input area 4.
FIGS. 2A to 2C show another example of the PDA. Note that, in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the portions corresponding to those of the example shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this example, a keyboard block 21 can be drawn from a main body 1. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the keyboard block 21 is accommodated in the main body. The keyboard block 21 is drawn in the lower direction of the main body, 1 as necessary, as shown in FIG. 2B or 2C. Various instructions can be input through keys 22 disposed on the upper surface of the keyboard block 21.
Incidentally, the example shown in FIG. 1 must be provided with the input pen 11 in order to input data using the transparent touch panel 3 fixed on the display unit 2 without making the surface of the touch panel 3 dirty, from which a problem has arisen in that the operation is complicated.
Further, there is a problem in that when a user directly operates the touch panel 3 with a finger repeatedly, the screen of the touch panel 3 becomes dirty and it is difficult to see a display on the display unit 2 located under the touch panel 3.
Since the touch panel 3 is transparent, an increase in the thickness thereof deteriorates the quality of the display screen of the display unit 2. When data is input, the feeling of stroke and the feeling of click is insufficient and it is problematic to further increase the thickness of the touch panel 3 as a result.
Further, since the touch panel 3 is disposed to cover the front surface of the display unit 2, a problem has arisen in that the luminance of the display unit 2 is impaired and a displayed image is made dark.
Further, operations such as a software operation for calling the input screen of the software keyboard and the like on the display unit 2 and an operation for pressing a call button must be executed, from which a problem has arisen in that the operations are complicated.
In the apparatus of the example shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, since the keyboard block 21 must be drawn from the main body 1 when it is used, the operation thereof is complicated. Further, a slide mechanism for drawing the keyboard block 21 must be provided, as well as the keyboard block 21 must be arranged as a block. Accordingly, the slide mechanism cannot help being increased in size to some extent when the durability thereof is taken into consideration. As a result, there is a problem in that the size of the apparatus of the example is increased in its entirety.